Nightly Ritual
by JillyWillyBean
Summary: The title sounds a little... cheeky... but it's really nothing along those lines. Just a short little fic about how Faramir feels about Eowyn.


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Howdy folks! Well, this is my second try at LOTR fiction… Like I've said before, I usually just stick to Harry Potter stuff, cos' it's easier to write then LOTR stuff. (Tolkien was more eloquent then J.K. Rowling is, no offense J.K) and I'm not exactly the best author… so anyway… Let me know what you think about my LOTR fics ;) Thanks! ~Jill

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            She had been so cold, so distant, when he had first met her; yet he hardly wondered why. In the years that she had painfully endured, she had seen and experienced more then he thought possible of her. But then again, he had only gazed from afar. She was beautiful and stubborn. As cold as ice, yet she burnt with a passionate flame that could only be glimpsed at faintly from the outside. In the depths of her soul a fire lay hidden, but slowly the ice was freezing it over. As he watched her wander amongst the frail gardens, he yearned to reach out to her. Soft ringlets of pale hair lay limply down her back. In total contrast to her spirit, she was so pale and small. The white gown that donned her lovely figure only seemed to accentuate her icy disposition even further. In inner turmoil, the man paced the warm room slowly. She was standing there, keeping her eyes hardened and free of all emotion, just begging to be held. Hesitantly, he made his way out into the crisp air. It was overcast and gloomy outside. The weather seemed to fit the present course of events to a fine point. While the world was at war and the days seemed to be filled with misery, the man could not believe such a beautiful creature could be found. Yet, there in front of him, stood the stoic proof. At his approach she turned her hardened glare on him, yet he couldn't help but notice how her eyes softened slightly as the gazed into his. That very small and inarticulate gesture sent blood coursing through his veins. She was lovely, and untouchable, and in dire need of healing. Being that empathetic person that he was, he immediately felt something deeper then sorrow for her. He felt… longing to help her. Yet, try as he may, the days wore on without so much as a smile, a tear, or a kind word from her. However, this did not dishearten the man, it only caused the rift in his heart to spread further and further for her. She really was quite a remarkable creature underneath her counterfeit exterior. 

_"Are you afraid of nothing, Lady?" _She stood astute and proud, letting the words glaze over her as if she hadn't heard him. His blood boiled a little quicker but was quickly settled.

_"Tis a cold day to be out. It would do you more good to be in the warmth then out here where you have no place." _Her words hit him like a sword in the belly, for the held double meaning. In her seemingly concerned words he heard bitterness and a blatantly obvious attempt to make him see he was unwanted. Un… needed. 

_"Dear Eowyn, the last time I looked upon the white walls of this city, I recall it being my own home, but please, correct me if I have misspoke." _He would not be swayed, for he had grown to love her too much. A pang of jealousy coursed through his heart as he thought that she might never be his. It was clear to see that her affections were placed in the direction of the noble ranger, and king to Gondor, Lord Aragorn. Swiping away the traitorous thoughts that had plagued him briefly, he concentrated on the knitted brow of her lovely face. He longed to kiss it and ease her troubles away.

_"Lord Faramir, forgive me I had no right to say as much." _If it weren't for the look of anger and distaste on her face, Faramir might have let his heart jump at her callous words. 

_"Eowyn, tell me what it is you fear so much?" _he couldn't resist touching her anymore. Gently and tenderly he touched her frigid shoulder causing her to flinch. She let out a rigid and cruelly algid laugh.

_"What I fear matters not, as it has already come to pass. Do not trouble yourself with things you cannot understand…" _His mind raged in fury. There was no way he could understand if she would not let him. He could hardly contain the fury in his voice as he said all this aloud.

_"I cannot understand if you will not let me know." _Shrugging out of his touch, Eowyn made her way to the edge of the sturdy wall. Looking down she could see the white city splayed over the hillside. It looked weary, and discreetly tired of its magnificence. Stone-faced guards that bore heavy burdens stood attentive and alert on the outposts. The dusk was coming and with it brought the lighting of the torches. For a moment, Faramir thought he saw some small sign of emotion pass over her face as she watched the nightly ritual.

_"Tis a comforting site, no?" _He asked tentatively. The barriers to her heart had not been broken down yet, and even a question as trivial as such could set her ten times deeper into the icy cell she was in. Her eyes did not cease to travel over the worn city.

_"Aye, it is indeed." _Faramir's heart almost leapt to his throat as he saw the warmth flicker in her eyes. She was such a beautiful creature, but that brief moment had increased her beauty a thousand times over. He stood in a contented silence as he watched her. As soon as the ritual ended, so did the smile. Perhaps she was not as complicated a creature as he had thought her to be…

_"Lady, the night air is cool. Will you not come inside?" _Faramir watched as she shook her head defiantly. Sighing, he turned out to watch the western sky. The sun was fading fast, and lights began to appear in various spots.

_"The wind cannot be as cold as the feeling in my heart, I will endure it…" _A lump of agony collected in Faramir's throat to hear her words. He wondered how someone as wonderful as herself could ever feel so desperate towards life. In lieu of all that, he longed to hold her, tell her she was his and promise to bring warmth back in to her life. It would, however, just distance her further at the present.

_"I fear I see not what you do, Lady. For my heart cannot contain the feelings of warmth that spread through it upon gazing at you," _Faramir said this gingerly, almost expecting her wrath to be unfurled upon him. Her jaw clenched tightly but she did not lash out.

_"I think that being inside of walls would agree with me at the present." _Her voice betrayed no emotion, but Faramir couldn't help but smile. There would be neither love declarations nor passionate embraces at the moment. That would come with time and with trust. There was, however, a fragile garden, and a nightly ritual, and with that would come time and trust.

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**Finite. **


End file.
